Written Answers

Wednesday 9 August 2000

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8272 by Susan Deacon on 10 July 2000, how national strategic developments to control alcohol misuse are identified, how the allocation of the £2.5 million to specified national developments will be made, whether any of the allocation has yet been determined and, if it has, to which national strategy developments the additional resources will be allocated over the next three years.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8272 by Susan Deacon on 10 July 2000, how the effectiveness of the £2.5 million will be appraised and monitored, over what period(s) and whether any such appraisal will be placed in the public domain.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8271 by Iain Gray on 10 July 2000, what specific work is in progress to implement the various strands of the Scottish Advisory on Alcohol Misuse Action Plan.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse (SACAM) was specifically set up to advice the Scottish Executive on the development and implementation of a coherent national strategy, and the most appropriate targeting of available resources.

  SACAM identified, within its first Action Plan, the range of developments necessary to lay firm foundations for effective implementation of a robust and sustainable strategy. The work currently in progress will help us to determine the most appropriate targeting of available resources in the longer term. At this stage, available funding is being used to support initial implementation of the Action Plan. Specific work in this respect includes the undertaking of a scoping review of alcohol misuse information; research into costs associated with alcohol misuse and cost-effectiveness of measures to reduce alcohol misuse which will shortly be commissioned; the preparation of an inventory of alcohol services; increased funding to Alcohol Misuse Co-ordinating Committees in recognition of their vital role in alcohol misuse at both local and national level, and to inform prevention and health promotion aspects of a national strategy, SACAM is planning to hold an event later this year to examine evidence and perspectives of alcohol misuse.

Cancer

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the availability of modern technology for the detection and treatment of cancer in hospitals.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Cancer Group, which leads and directs Scotland’s cancer strategy, is working actively with the Scottish Executive and with the service to ensure that everyone with cancer has access to modern, high quality and responsive services, supported by up-to-date technology and information systems centred on their needs.

  I announced recently the first round of NHS Capital Modernisation Fund investments which will provide state of the art linear accelerators and treatment planning computers for the delivery of radiotherapy in Scotland’s Cancer Centres. Another example of technological investment to improve the care of people with cancer is the pilot telemedicine project involving the Glasgow & West of Scotland Gynaecological cancer network which is funded by the Executive’s telemedicine initiative. A rolling equipment replacement programme is already in place for the Scottish Breast Screening Programme.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many payments at what value have been made to salmon farmers as part of the £9 million funding package announced in September 1999.

Mr John Home Robertson: Formal approval of the funding package was not issued by the European Commission until 30 May 2000. Since then three applications have been approved by Highlands and Islands Enterprise worth £1 million.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its press release of 16 May 2000 on seal conservation and fisheries, what plans it has for measures to deal with the population of seals in Scottish waters in relation to species such as salmon where numbers are falling; whether it plans to issue any consultation paper on any such measures; who it would consult with and over what time period on such measures, and what impact the lack of any such measures has had on the rural economy over the last 10 years.

Mr John Home Robertson: I visited the Sea Mammal Research Unit, the statutory advisers on seals, in St. Andrews on 16 May when scientists confirmed that seal predation on salmonids in estuaries and the lower reaches of rivers is probably related to small numbers of "rogue" animals. I am advised that targeted shooting under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 is likely to be the most effective way of addressing this problem.

  There appears to be no direct correlation between growing seal numbers in the sea and the decline in salmon stocks. In Scotland, as throughout the rest of the range of Atlantic salmon, catches have been declining for a number of years. The reasons for the decline are not clear but it is acknowledged that the mortality rate in the marine phase of the salmon’s life has increased, thus reducing the number of fish returning to our rivers each year. In addition to predation factors such as habitat degradation, disease, water quality and poor weather conditions may also have an effect on spawning populations.

  The issue of seal predation on freshwater fisheries already features in the consultation paper Protecting and Promoting Scotland’s Freshwater Fish and Fisheries: A Review, published recently. A copy of this is held in the Parliament Information Centre.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to whom riparian owners are legally required to notify details of annual catches of wild fish such as salmon and whether there are any plans to place a legal obligation on riparian owners to pass such information directly to fishery boards.

Mr John Home Robertson: Owners of salmon fishing rights are required to make returns to the department under the terms of S15 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Protection) (Scotland) Act 1951. There are no current plans to alter these arrangements.

Fisheries

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will announce the key performance targets it has set for Fisheries Research Services for 2000-01.

Mr John Home Robertson: I have set the following targets for Fisheries Research Services for the financial year 2000-01:

  


Measures


2000-01 Target




Delivery of Service




Achievement of performance targets 
set in the schedules to the Service Level Agreement


92%




Achievement of agreed milestones 
for research and development projects


80%




Maintain FRS’s publication output: 

Number of staff (total)
peer reviewed papers (+ ICES papers)
Published reports
Publications/member of staff



 
 
 
0.80




To produce information pamphlets 
for the fishing industry 


2 information packs 
for fishermen on current topics
6 major articles in 
the Fishing Press




Quality of Service




To subject a programme of FRS work 
to external scientific peer review and to implement an agreed 
action plan to address major recommendations


Complete review of 
Aquaculture and Animal Health Programme by December 2000 and implement 
Action Plan by March 2001




Gain accreditation for specified 
areas of FRS’s work


Achieve accreditation 
for algal toxin and microbiological contamination of shellfish.

Submit documentation 
for List II viral diseases of fish and sampling of fish for veterinary 
medicines.




Efficiency Targets




SE programme to operate within the 
agreed costs 


Discontinued




Full economic costs to be recovered 
from external customers (other than those agreed to be undertaken 
at marginal or shared costs)


Full economic costs 
to be recovered from external customers (other than those agreed 
to be undertaken at marginal or shared costs)




Restrict administrative costs as 
a % of total running costs


17




Restrict support services staff as 
a % of the total staff numbers


Discontinued




To utilise research vessels efficiently:
Days at sea/year
daily cost of Scotia
daily cost of Clupea




540
£5,300
£2,500




To continually improve the efficiency 
of FRS’s financial management systems 


To produce accounts 
on target, and without significant qualification, enabling the 
FRS Report and Accounts to be published in July




Cash releasing efficiency gains (% 
of FRS non-staff running costs)


1.0

Food Standards

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regarding the organic livestock products regulations, (EC) 1804/1999, or by the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards regarding its further consultation on this issue in April and May 2000.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive and other UK administrations were a party to the negotiations in Brussels leading to the introduction of Council Regulation (EC) No 1804/1999 which concerns organic livestock production. Following on from the adoption of the regulation, in April and May, the Scottish Executive consulted industry organisations about the standards to be adopted in this area.

Fuel Prices

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which Ministers have had meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss the impact of fuel prices in Scotland, when any such meetings took place and what response was received.

Sarah Boyack: Scottish Ministers are in regular contact with UK Ministers on a range of issues, including fuel prices.

General Practitioners

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why some GPs have not received an NHS superannuation annual statement since December 1997.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Public Pensions Agency is responsible for the administration of the NHS Superannuation Scheme. The agency is having a new computer system developed and has consequently been unable to provide scheme members, including general practitioners, with a statement of their benefit entitlement since December 1997. The system development is nearing completion and the agency expects to meet its target to issue scheme members with benefit statements this year.

Genetically Modified Crops

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-1879 by Ross Finnie on 8 June 2000, who would be liable to pay compensation should it subsequently be revealed that a hazardous substance, caused by GM contaminated oil seed rape, had entered the animal and human food chain.

Susan Deacon: In the hypothetical situation to which you refer, I would advise that liability for the payment of compensation would be a matter for the civil courts and would depend on the facts and circumstances of each case.

  However, I would like to repeat the advice of the Food Standards Agency that any oil derived from the GM affected oilseed rape, planted last year, is as safe for food use as oil derived from its conventional counterpart.

  The Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF) has also concluded that the adventitious presence of GM material in oilseed rape, at the levels reported, did not pose a threat to human or animal health via its use in animal feed.

Health

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Health Appointments Advisory Committee has met to consider the issue of filling vacancies since 1 July 1999.

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many members the Health Appointments Advisory Committee currently has and whether this differs from the number in July 1999.

Susan Deacon: The Health Appointments Advisory Committee has considered applications for vacancies on four occasions since 1 July 1999. It had five members on 1 July 1999 and now has three members.

Health

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to Greater Glasgow Health Board, how many non-executive board members have been appointed since 1 July 1999, and how many candidates were offered to the Health Appointments Advisory Committee for consideration before each appointment was made.

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the appointment of non-executive board members to Greater Glasgow Health Board since 1 July 1999, whether procedures as described in the consultation paper Modernising the System were followed.

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the appointment of non-executive board members to Greater Glasgow Health Board since 1 July 1999, how many of the relevant local authorities were consulted regarding the appointments.

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the appointment of non-executive board members to Greater Glasgow Health Board since 1 July 1999, how many candidates were interviewed personally by the Chairman of Greater Glasgow Health Board before appointments were made.

Susan Deacon: There has been one appointment to the board of Greater Glasgow Health Board since 1 July 1999. One candidate was considered by the Health Appointments Advisory Committee and was interviewed by the Chair of the Greater Glasgow Health Board. Nominations were invited from one local authority. A single stage HAAC consideration process was used for this appointment.

  Since this appointment was made I have introduced an additional stage to the process which is being implemented in filling current vacancies. This requires a member of the HAAC, or a Scottish Executive Independent Assessor if a HAAC member is not available, to be in attendance at all interviews for board members conducted by the Chair of the relevant body. This is an interim change pending decisions on the outcome of the Executive’s consultation on Modernising the Public Appointments System and the Scottish Executive Health Department’s work on NHS modernisation which includes the governance of the NHS.

Health

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-executive board members have been appointed to the Scottish Ambulance Service Board since 1 July 1999 and how many candidates were offered for consideration to the Health Appointments Advisory Committee before each appointment was made.

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the appointment of non-executive board members to the Scottish Ambulance Service Board since 1 July 1999, whether procedures as described in the consultation paper Modernising the System were followed.

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the appointment of non-executive board members to the Scottish Ambulance Service Board (SASB) since 1 July 1999, how many candidates were interviewed personally by the Chairman of SASB before appointments were made.

Susan Deacon: There has been one appointment to the board of the Scottish Ambulance Service since 1 July 1999. One candidate was considered by the Health Appointments Advisory Committee and was interviewed by the Chair of the Scottish Ambulance Service. A single stage HAAC consideration process was used for this appointment.

  Since this appointment was made I have introduced an additional stage to the process which is being implemented in filling current vacancies. This requires a member of the HAAC, or a Scottish Executive Independent Assessor if a HAAC member is not available, to be in attendance at all interviews for board members conducted by the Chair of the relevant body. This is an interim change pending decisions on the outcome of the Executive’s consultation on Modernising the Public Appointments System and the Scottish Executive Health Department’s work on NHS Modernisation which includes the governance of the NHS.

Health

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the appointment of the Chair of Fife Health Board, how many completed applications were submitted; how many applicants lived or worked in the area covered by Fife Health Board; how many candidates declared a political affiliation, or indicated an involvement in politics, and whether it will provide a breakdown of any such declarations and indications by party-political affiliation.

Susan Deacon: We received 33 applications; 31 applicants lived or worked in the Fife Health Board area. Information on political affiliation is only published for those candidates who are appointed to public bodies. I refer Mrs Ullrich to the news release of 11 April 2000 announcing this appointment.

Inter-Parliamentary Relations

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings have been requested with it by members of the UK Parliament who are not members of the Scottish Parliament and how many of these meetings have taken place.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

Prison Service

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost per month is of maintaining the estate of the former HM Prison, Penninghame.

Mr Jim Wallace: £8,620.

Roads

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many roads have been newly classified as trunk roads since May 1997, specifying the distance involved in each case.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has not reclassified any local roads as trunk since May 1997. The following sections of new trunk road have been opened since May 1997.

  


Route


Section


Length (km)




M74


Paddys Rickle Bridge – Hardhope


6.84




M74


Hardhope – Middlegill


6.31




M74


Middlegill-Beattock


4.24




M74


Beattock-Dinwoodie Green


21.46




M90


Halbeath Interchange


2.30




A9


Logie Easter-Garrick Bridge


1.10




A75


The Glen Improvement


3.00




A82


Base Camp Rail Bridge


0.44




A828


Creagan Bridge Diversion


0.90




A830 


Polnish Bridge-Loch Nan Uamh


1.86




A96


Blackburn Bypass


4.28




A96


Kintore Bypass


3.83

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2973 by Sarah Boyack on 13 January 2000, whether sufficient consideration of the Dalkeith Bypass has now been undertaken, alongside other emerging priorities, to establish whether multi-modal appraisal will be carried out on the A68 (Dalkeith Bypass) scheme.

Sarah Boyack: I have nothing to add to the replies I gave to questions S1W-2899 and S1W-2973.

Rural Affairs

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S1W-7449 by Ross Finnie on 14 June 2000, whether the £18,000 cost of publishing and distributing Rural Scotland: A New Approach includes the cost of the staff time spent preparing the document and, if not, how much the time of the officials involved cost; to whom the document was circulated and what responses to the document have been received to date.

Ross Finnie: The figure of £18,000 quoted in question S1W-7449 did not include staff time spent preparing the document. Rural Scotland: A New Approach was produced with the assistance of contributions from a large number of officials across the Executive. The Scottish Executive does not routinely keep a record of the time spent by officials in carrying out particular tasks. It is not, therefore, possible to determine precisely the staff cost element. The document was circulated to a wide range of rural interests using standard consultation lists. Rural Scotland: A New Approach was a policy statement rather than a consultation document and responses were not specifically invited. Nevertheless, a number of written and verbal comments have been received.